Dig Me A Grave So We Can Bury Our Secrets
by Sparrowfeather1
Summary: The five times someone confides in Stiles and the one time everyone tries to keep a secret from him. And fails. Miserably. Eventual Stiles/Derek with Scott/Isaac and other pairings mixed in. SLASH! Sterek!
1. Scott

**Title: Dig Me A Grave So We Can Bury Our Secrets**

**Summary: The five times someone confides in Stiles and the one time everyone tries to keep a secret from him. And fails. Miserably. Eventual Stiles/Derek with other pairings mixed in.**

**Warnings: None in this chapter**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the addicting awesomeness that is Teen Wolf.**

**So I just started to watch Teen Wolf and Oh. My. God. I got through two seasons in two days. I don't even remember if I slept at all in that time frame. And almost from their first interaction I latched on to Sterek. I wanted to write a fanfic almost right away but it took me a while to come up with a decent idea. Finally I got this one and I decided that this was worth pursuing.**

**There isn't much…okay any Sterek in this chapter but I promise it comes later. Even though it may seem like it from this chapter, this story is not predominantly a Scott/Isaac thing, it's a Sterek awesome train. The Scott/Isaac is just a plot pusher thing. Yeah well you'll figure it out as the story moves forward. Enjoy!**

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1.

"I think I'm in love." Scott sighed, sprawled out on my mattress while I sat at my desk, doing research on my laptop. There had recently been several murders around town, all using poison, my dad and the other officers are beginning to fear a serial killer but Derek has hinted that it may be linked to something a bit less cut and dry.

"Talk about being late to the party." I snorted at Scott's sudden declaration. "I mean what, you and Allison have gone through hell and back and half the time make it look like you're skipping through a bed of roses." I rolled my eyes.

Scott groaned and muttered something into my pillow.

"Dude, seriously? You're probably getting spit all over my stuff. And I have no idea what you just said. Puny human remember? Normal hearing, normal sense of smell, doesn't have a time of the month. Ring any bells?"

Scott rolled over so he was on his back again. "I said, it's not Allison."

"Wait." I stopped my typing on the computer, swiveling my desk chair around to face him. "It's not Allison what…? Not Allison you're in love with?" I asked and Scott just let out a distressed whine that honestly sounded like a dying dog but being the kind, generous friend I am I didn't point that out. "Whoa. Whoa, what? Who? Does Allison know? You're not cheating on her are you because that's just not cool Scott."

"What? No! I'd never cheat on her! I just…"

"Love someone else?" I filled in and Scott groaned.

"Yup. Pretty much."

"Who is it?" I asked, running the names of everyone we knew through our heads. I couldn't think of any girls we spent enough time with for Scott to fall in love, except… "Is it Erica? Because dude that's just suicide right there. I mean if you actually live through dumping a werewolf hunter's daughter then Boyd will definitely kill you for trying to steal his girlfriend and not to mention that you're practically my brother and if you marry Erica then she'd be like my sister in law and oh my god she still scares me so much."

"It's not Erica!" Scott said exasperated "And it's not Lydia either!" He added as I opened my mouth again.

"Then who is it?"

"I think I'm in love with Isaac." He whispers and I'm just barely able to hear him. I stare for a moment, for once in my life I'm not sure what to say.

"Are you kidding me?" I finally ask and apparently Scott took it the wrong way because he stood up so quickly I almost missed it.

"No I'm not kidding you!" he snapped "I just, we've been spending so much time together and things have been rough with Allison and I lately and I can just talk to him in ways that I can't talk to her recently and just argh!" he flopped back down unto my bed.

"Well…that is sort of awesome." I smiled, nodding so quickly that I'm pretty sure I looked like some demented bobble head.

"Wait? What?" Scott looked at me totally confused.

"I've been freaking out these past few weeks thinking that Isaac was you're new best friend and you wouldn't need me anymore but it's nothing like that! You just want to bone him!" I laughed, clapping my hands together "That is just, that is beautiful man."

"I'm so glad my internal crisis puts your mind at such ease." Scott said with so much sarcasm that I was borderline impressed.

"Does Isaac know how you feel?" I asked, getting towards the more serious point in the conversation.

"No." Scott shook his head "I mean, I just realized it myself a couple weeks ago and I sure as hell didn't accept it until yesterday."

"What happened yesterday?"

"I had another fight with Allison, she still doesn't trust Derek and doesn't like that I'm working with him so often. I ended up walking out and later that afternoon when he came home from work Isaac noticed I was upset." Scott smiled in a way that I hadn't seen in a long time "He took me to the local diner and bought me a milkshake and fries, then we went to the arcade and just hung out. I ended up ignoring like three of Allison's calls and I just…I realized that I enjoyed spending time with Isaac more than I enjoyed kissing or even having-"

"-please don't give me that image in my head!" I interrupted and Scott smirked a bit, the bastard.

"Sorry but I just, I realized I enjoyed spending time with Isaac more than I enjoyed my relationship with Allison, even when it's going well and especially now that it's sort of sucking."

"I don't mean to be Doubty McRainclouds but are you sure this isn't all just because you and Allison are arguing. I mean, I didn't even know you swung that way."

"Neither did I but I mean, so much has changed recently."

"Yeah but becoming a werewolf and completely doing a 360 on your sexuality are completely different things."

"This coming from you?" Scott laughed incredulously. "You are the most bendy guy I know."

"Hey, I'm not some supernatural, awesome, beasty. I have to keep my options open!" I said, flailing my arms a bit before calming down. "I just want to make sure you're thinking this through because this is a big deal."

"I know it is. And I have been thinking about it, I couldn't sleep last night I was thinking about it so much. Allison is still great, she's smart, she's beautiful, she's tough, she's the perfect girl but she's not _my_ perfect girl. Not anymore. Maybe…maybe if I had never gotten bitten she and I could have worked but between her family and Derek and the Pack things are just to stressful. I know I always acted like love conquers all and everything but I can't go from fighting one supernatural enemy to coming home and fighting a whole different sort of war with my girlfriend. I'm tired of not being sure which side she's on, her family's or mine. With Isaac…I don't have to question his loyalty. And he understands what I'm going through without even asking, Allison doesn't even try to get the pressures the wolf side puts on me."

"Well then it seems pretty simple to me." I shrugged "Break up with Allison, ask out Isaac."

"I can't do that." Scott shook his head and I groaned.

"Why not?"

"I don't know how Isaac feels and what if I make Allison angry and she goes all werewolf hunter on me!"

"Scott, you can't just keep on dating Allison while you have these feelings for Isaac, it's not good for any of you. Werewolves can smell arousal can't they? You can hear heart beats and stuff like that so Isaac probably has at least some sort of idea something's going on with you, even if he doesn't know what it is exactly. And girls have that weird sixth sense sort of thing too. They'll figure it out by themselves eventually."

"Yeah well eventually isn't now."

"Scott" I ran my fingers through my ever growing hair frustrated. I may not be the most experienced member of our ever growing supernatural community but I knew a flashing _DANGER AHEAD_ sign when I saw it.

"Just, lets keep this between us for now. Please. I need to think on it a bit more." Scott said and I sighed.

"Alright fine." I may not agree but Scott, my best friend and brother forever was having one of the biggest identity crises possible, maybe even worse than when he became a werewolf. I was going to be supportive no matter how ridiculous his decision was. "Just, whoever you end up with, please do not give me any sordid details. None. Whatsoever."

Scott laughed, relaxing a bit "Deal."

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**Well there it is! I hope you enjoyed it even with the lack of Derek in this chapter. He comes in during the next chapter, I promise. Cross my Heart and everything.**

**Please REVIEW!**


	2. Boyd

**2.**

**Title: Dig Me A Grave So We Can Bury Our Secrets**

**Summary: The five times someone confides in Stiles and the one time everyone tries to keep a secret from him. And fails. Miserably. Eventual Stiles/Derek with other pairings mixed in.**

**Warnings: None in this chapter**

**I'm so glad that everyone's liking the story so far! And thanks to everyone who reviewed, you guys rock and I hope ya'll enjoy this new chapter even though I have to say, not completely thrilled with it. I just feel like something's off or missing but I can't quite put my finger on what. Well I hope you enjoy it anyways and let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of its characters.**

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To my complete and utter astonishment a week passed and Scott's little bendy secret stayed that way. To the passerby he and Allison seemed to be doing better, there was less screaming and arguing but I could also tell that there was something wrong. It wasn't something that would be obvious to anybody else but me but having known Scott since we were kids I knew him almost as well as I knew myself, wolfiness aside of course. It was if he had given up, resigned himself to this increasingly loveless relationship. It was hard to watch but in the end it was his choice and I would stand behind him no matter how dense he was being.

Though, being the supporting friend was especially difficult today. It was our first pack meeting since school got out for the summer and Scott's eyes were following Isaac all around the living room of the newly renovated Hale house as he passed out cans of soda.

I elbowed Scott in the side but didn't dare whisper anything because a gang of super hearing Betas surrounded us. Instead I relied on the timeless method of best friend communication, the silent looks. Scott of course started out by trying to look innocent, as if I hadn't just caught him ogling Isaac's butt when he bent over to pick up the can of soda he dropped.

In return I furrowed my brows and gave a little shake of my head, _Seriously dude?_ I then nodded my chin to Allison who luckily was in deep conversation with Lydia over god knows what. _She could have easily caught you staring_.

Scott looked down and gave a little shrug _Sorry, didn't even notice I was doing it._

I bumped his shoulder with mine lightly and gave a little smile. _Just be more careful next time. _I could hardly bring myself to be truly angry with him. You can't help who you fall for after all, something I reluctantly learning myself…

Scott let out a silent sigh and gave me a nod _Don't know if I can but I'll try._

After that interaction Derek walked into the room with the newly arrived pizzas in hand and soon everyone's mouth was full of cheesy delight. There hadn't been another murder in over a week so there was nothing really new to talk about. It felt sort of morbid but until another body showed up we didn't really have anything more to go on. So this meeting was mostly just bonding time for the Pack.

After pizza everyone moved outside and the guys and Erica started playing some bizarre version of tackle Frisbee. It was times like this that being a human was really annoying, I could feel myself twitching with the need to move, to do something but at the same time I knew that I was much to slow and fragile to compete with their wolfy senses.

Allison and Lydia had also gone outside to cheer on their boyfriends, well supposedly, Lydia was actually just laughing because Erica knocked over Jackson and caught the Frisbee. Derek sat on the porch, watching his pack play with what was for him a fond smile on his face, on anyone else the look would barely pass as an unimpressed quirk of the lips.

I took a moment to admire that rare peaceful expression on the normally brooding face. I still wasn't used to this side of Derek, the proud almost caring side he would show when he thought nobody was looking and his pack was together. Because of my staring it took me all of ten minutes to realize something was missing, Boyd wasn't playing on the field with the others, frowning I also noticed he wasn't on the porch with the girls or Derek. I went back inside and found him in the kitchen, putting the pizza plates in the dishwasher.

"Hey, why are you holed up in here?" I asked and he jolted, looking to me if startled by my presence.

"Didn't hear you come in."

I raised my eyebrows "Seriously? Because I wasn't even tip toeing and even then Scott can always hear me coming no matter how amazingly sneaky I am being."

"Well I _heard_ you, it just wasn't really registering." He explained and I cocked my head to one side, something Erica had nicknamed my 'pup look' and claimed that it was just as effective as Scott's puppy eyes.

"Had your mind somewhere else?" I guessed and he nodded, putting a few cereal bowls that had been soaking in the sink, into the dishwasher. "Was it anything you want to talk about?"

Boyd gave me a long look "Not really."

"Are you sure? I once read in a magazine somewhere that talking can help. Actually I think it was a comic book, Iron Man was having some horrible life altering crisis." I waved my hand dismissively.

"What happened to Iron Man?" Boyd paused, holding a few glasses in his hands.

"What?" I asked surprised that that's what he latched on to but I shrugged and tried to remember. "Well actually I think he got the crap kicked out of him later in the issue but hey, he was beat up with a clear conscience because he talked about what was bothering him." Boyd just looked at me incredulously. "Okay, I get it, you're not talkative guy. Just trying to help, I'll just go back and watch everyone tackle each other over a tiny piece of neon colored of plastic." I said and headed out.

"I'm just…not used to this sort of thing yet." Boyd said just as I reached the threshold leading out of the kitchen. I turned around and walked back over slowly.

"What do you mean?"

"I never had friends and my family wasn't very close. I got used to being alone, it wasn't always a bad thing, I never had to worry about anyone else when I wanted to do something, I didn't have to check in with my parents whenever I wanted to go out. I was free to do what I want but at the same time I never had anyone to do it with. Now all of a sudden I not only have a pack but I have friends too. It's overwhelming sometimes and still a bit weird. I don't always know how to act, I spent so much time alone that my social skills kind of suck." He let out a low chuckle.

"Are you kidding me? If we can put up with Jackson being a constant dick and Derek being…well a rock we can handle you. Actually there's nothing to handle because you're awesome guy. I mean seriously, Scott told me about what happened during that run in the forest a few weeks back. When you guys came across a bear cub stuck in a trap. You stopped and spent an hour and a half trying to get it free." I smiled and Boyd looked down embarrassed.

"It would have only taken half that time but the mother bear kept on circling. Scott and Jackson had to keep her distracted."

"Yeah but most other people would have given up or called animal control to take care of it. You did it on your own because you care! You're an awesome guy Boyd, don't worry if you're not the most talkative guy in the room because everyone likes you."

"You think so?" Boyd asked "I mean I know they don't hate me but I'm never able to tell if they like me or are just indifferent."

"I'm sure they like you. I mean when you're quiet everyone knows it's just because you're thoughtful not because you're brooding like Derek. Derek sends off waves of unfriendliness and bad boy mystique. You have a more relaxed and philosophical silence about you. Like that statue with its chin resting on its fist! And, hey, if you're nervous go out there and play with the others. There's no talking involved in their game, bone shattering body slams yes, but it's a good way to involve yourself with them without having to really put yourself out there. So you go, I'll finish with the dishes."

"Thanks." Boyd nodded, still a bit hesitant but not as nervous as before. "And can you not mention this conversation to anyone. I don't want..."

"To seem weak?" I guessed,

"Strength is what I'm supposed to be good at." Boyd shrugged and I took the glasses out of his hands, putting them in the dishwasher.

"You're good at a lot more than that my man." I patted his shoulder and Boyd nodded at me before leaving and I continued to fill up the dishwasher. I rearranged some of the bowls and larger dishes to make everything fit a bit better. I made just enough room to put in the big glass casserole dish. I turned around to put it in only to see a wall of muscle and leather suddenly standing in front of me.

"Son of a bitch!" I yelled, throwing my arms in the air and sending the dish flying.

For once I was grateful for the wolfy reflexes, Derek caught the dish before it hit the floor and set it in the dishwasher while I recovered from my near heart attack.

"I heard what you said to Boyd." He said after a few seconds of silence.

"That was a private conversation." I said indignantly but he just raised an eyebrow at me in an _I'm the Alpha, rules don't apply to me expression_. Given more time to think on the matter it might disturb me to realize that I could interpret the micro expressions on his stoic face as well as I could read Scott's more open and sometimes painfully honest expressions. But even so I wasn't expecting the hard punch that Derek delivered to my shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?" I gasped, clutching my arm. I could already feel the bruise forming, the bastard.

"I do not give out waves of unfriendliness." He said with a scowl on his face.

"Well this is not the way to convince me of that!" I responded, resenting the petulance in my voice. He just glared at me, I should probably be scared but I wasn't, his look lacking the regular malice. "You know you could say thank you Stiles for creating pack unity and stuff."

"Thank you." He muttered so low that I almost didn't hear him. I paused startled, not having actually expected him to say it.

"What was that again? I don't think I quite heard you." I smiled

He groaned and punched me in the arm again before stalking out of the room.

"You're welcome!" I yelled after him and didn't know what was worse, the, no doubt ridiculously loud, pounding of my heart or the throbbing in my arm.

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**Well there ya go! Chapter two! I hope you enjoyed it. Things start to get a bit more serious next chapter so hold on to your horses!**

**Don't for get to **_**REVIEW****!**_


	3. Isaac

3.

**Warnings: Some violence I guess, nothing to awful I think.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the addicting awesomeness that is Teen Wolf.**

**Well…I did not expect this chapter to end up being this long. It's probably going to be the longest chapter of the story and one of the most adventurous. And I changed the summary a bit and added chapter titles, nothing fancy but worth mentioning I think.**

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"Hey can I talk to you about something?"

"Now?"

"Yeah, I've been wanting to ask for a while but I've always been afraid of being overheard." Isaac said and while I may not be able to literally smell emotions, the trepidation in his voice was obvious even to me. Though, I am man enough to admit that I probably reeked of fear myself at the moment.

"Don't you think we should I don't know, focus on escaping?" I asked, trying to kick out a tail light but it didn't budge.

The trunk Isaac and I were trapped in was small, with both of us cramped inside it there was almost no room to move. Even Isaac's superior strength and claws couldn't break out, it must have been reinforced some how.

"I don't know if you know this but I'm not exactly very fond of cramped spaces. Thank you dad. So I'd really appreciate talking about something else to get my mind off of our current predicament…"

"Okay then." I said, feeling as awkward as I always did whenever Isaac's dad was brought up. My own dad was awesome, I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for him to grow up the way he did. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Do you know if Scott's mad at me or something?" He asked and I swear to god I almost choked on my tongue.

"What uh…what would make you think something like that?" I asked and mentally face palmed. Real smooth Stiles.

"He's been really weird for the past few weeks. It's like he's trying to avoid me but when we do end up talking at Pack meetings or whenever, he's extra nice, like nothing's wrong but at the same time, like something's weird. It just seems like he's really uncomfortable. I don't know, maybe I'm just being crazy…"

"Yeah that's just crazy talk." I said and maybe it was the uncomfortable position my legs were in or the fact that I never approved of Scott lying in the first place but I just was not on my game today.

"Oh god. He is mad at me. I can hear it. You just lied!" Isaac said distressed.

"No, no I didn't."

"You just lied again!"

"He's not mad at you Isaac! Listen to me now, he is most definitely not angry or upset with you at all. See? Not lying." I said and I could almost feel Isaac loosen up a bit beside me. He definitely wasn't relaxed but he at least wasn't tenser than the steel trunk above us. "Haven't you I don't know, smelt anything weird on him lately? Particularly when he's around you, close around you…?" I asked.

"No he's been wearing this awful cologne lately." Even though the trunk was to dark to see his expression his tone was more than enough express his distaste. "It stinks to high heaven, covers up everything else. Why? Is sick? Is that it, is that what he's trying to hide?" Isaac asked, immediately worried.

"He's not sick either." I said, wondering how both of them could be this epically clueless.

"Then what's going on. Why is he acting so weird?"

"I wish I could say Isaac but I promised Scott that I wouldn't." I sighed.

"Oh" Was all Isaac said and the hurt in his voice was palpable. I felt almost mad at Scott for doing this to poor Isaac who had already been through so much in his life. Before I could say anything to even begin to try and comfort him the car stopped moving. Both of our attention was immediately drawn away from the Scott problem and focused on staying alive...

* * *

Only three days after the last pack meeting there had been another murder, an unidentifiable poison was used to kill a middle aged shop owner. By now the Sheriff's department was looking for a serial killer, everyone in the town was on high alert. And that made it all the harder to get to the body, not even Scott's mom was able to get close to it. But we had to get a sample of the poison, it was the only way to know what we were dealing with.

Eventually we came up with a plan, Lydia and Erica would use the unparalleled power of their beauty to distract the doctors and sheriffs deputies, we specifically picked a day when my dad was off duty, thank god. Then Scott, Derek and Jackson would slip in and grab the sample while Isaac, Boyd and I kept a careful guard out front. We were watching not only for evil doers but also for anyone else that could cause a problem like a female nurse who couldn't be so easily swayed by Lydia and Erica. This plan was so half hazard and precarious that any little thing could cause it to go down hill. Unfortunately we couldn't waste anymore time and risk someone else being murdered while we sit around and did nothing.

And to everyone's amazement it almost looked like this wayward plan was going to work. That was until the man in the trench coat arrived. I know, trench coats are so cliché, right, but it's what happened so whatever. As soon as the man parked his car beside my jeep Boyd and Isaac were on full alert. When he got out of the car we saw that he had a hat on, covering his face and concealing identity but even so, this obviously wasn't some kind of hospital employee or Sheriff's deputy. Boyd and Isaac's eyes immediately flashed and I tried to call Derek or Scott to let them know something bad was about to happen. But before I could even get my phone out of my pocket the threat of possible disaster actually turned into something even more catastrophic than I could have even imagined.

Boyd had been the first to lunge at the man, fangs barred and ready for attack. I was glad we decided to enact this plan in the middle of the night where there were only empty cars in the parking lot. Almost as soon was Boyd was in the air the man took out a modified billy club and smashed it into his side. When the club collided with Boyd's body an almost blinding spark lit the air. The club was electric, working like a high powered taser and sending Boyd straight to the ground. One more hit caused him to fall into an unconscious slump.

The trench coat man turned to face Isaac and I. I wondered what would happen if I made a break for the door. In the back of my mind I could hear Isaac growling, he and the man having a stand off but all I could do was look at the fifty feet that separated myself from Lydia and Erica in the lobby. If I actually did tuck my tail between my legs and go to them for help, what would happen? Lydia might be able to come up with some amazing genius plan while Erica helped Isaac fend the man off or Erica and Isaac could go down just as easily as Boyd did and that sort of electric shock do a lot of damage to humans like Lydia and I.

Before I could make any moves he reached into his pocket and threw a handful of powder over Isaac and I, it was very finely ground but still dry to the touch. I paused, not exactly sure how to react to essentially being given the supernatural version of a glitter bombing. But I was brought out of my momentary hesitation when I saw Isaac crash to the ground next to me, he stared at me, eyes wide and flashing. He was still conscious, just paralyzed. I took a step forward but only ended up falling, my legs suddenly feeling like Jell-O.

Trench coat man laughed, bending down and lifting Isaac's lip to look at his fangs. "Interesting." He murmured, and grabbed Isaac by his wrists, hoisting him into the trunk of the car like he was a bag of trash. Whatever was in the powder had somehow rendered both Isaac and I completely immobile. The man then took a step towards Boyd's crumpled form as if he planned to stuff him in the trunk too. But after only taking one step the hospital's security alarms went off.

Knowing he only had second's left the man abandoned the idea of taking Boyd, instead turning to me who was much closer. He threw me into the trunk much more recklessly than he did Isaac, my head hitting the edge of the trunk. He shut the lid down hard and jumped into his car, driving off into the night.

* * *

And that is how Isaac and I got trapped in the trunk of a creepy assailant's car. Luckily the paralytic was short lasting but it didn't matter. Whatever reinforcements this guy made on his car worked great. We were trapped, at the mercy of this man who could essentially take us anywhere.

When the trunk finally opened Isaac moved to attack the trench coat man but he was immediately struck with the club, it wasn't on a high enough frequency to knock him out, only enough to stop the attack but Isaac still growled menacingly at him.

"Now get out, slowly." The man said "No funny stuff or else." He patted his pockets where he no doubt had more of the white powder hidden.

"Just do it." I said to Isaac softly, knowing that we stood a better chance if we're out in the open rather than cornered in the trunk. But even so I doubt we'd have much of a chance unless Derek and the rest of the pack found us. I felt utterly useless, the poor, puny human. Maybe if I had the bite Isaac and I would actually stand a chance but no, I was just a liability in this situation and it was horrible.

We got out of the trunk slowly, looking around I saw that we had driven into a storage crate, one of the large metal industrial ones that were normally put on ships. I could hear the water but we were to steady to be on a boat of any kind. My guess would be that we were on a dock of some sort.

All around us were cages filled different animals. Bats, scorpions, different types of snakes, even a lion. In the center of the room was a large stainless steel table, like the ones found in horror movie operating rooms. To make things worse this one was dripping with blood, pieces of severed bat wings and snake bits were scattered across the top. The lion, which had patches of fur missing, let out a such a low growl when it smelled Isaac that it was almost as scary as Derek. Almost but not quite.

"What, are you trying to make some sort of animal Frankenstein?" I asked, my mouth operating before my brain caught up with it and reminded me that I didn't want to make the man with the lighting rod and magic fairy dust angry.

But to my horrified astonishment the man didn't hit me with the stick or throw the powder at me, instead he just laughed. "Something like that."

"Oh hell no. You cannot be serious." My shoulders sunk. Crazed Alphas were one thing, vengeful Kanimas were another but mad scientists was where I drew the line.

"Oh but I am. Have you seen our world lately? Seen the state of the people in America? We are supposed to be one of the richest countries in the world but we still have mothers who can't feed their children, men who have gone through college and done all the right things in life only to have no job, nowhere to go, we leave the mentally ill homeless on the street and don't even let me begin on the crime and filth we tolerate in our cities. And what does the government do? Nothing. Not one single thing. So I'm going to change that. And at my side will be a weapon that nobody can say no to."

"But if you want to create such a perfect world without all those things, why are you going around killing people?" Isaac asked, we both had the silent understanding that we had to stall. Stalling was our only hope, make time for Derek or Scott or anyone to find us.

"Well I have to find the best poison of course. Traditionally a scorpion is used but I'm beginning to favor the venom of the Blue Krait. It killed Mrs. Lennox almost twice as fast as the scorpion venom killed Mr. Kratz." He said, referring to the first two victims.

"That's why you've been committing murders. To test out different venoms." Isaac said but I was on another line of thought. Scorpions, lions, bats...it reminded me of something I read but I just couldn't put my finger on what.

"Yes but somebody got in my way tonight when I tried to gather my postmortem data from tonight's specimen." The man said, his voice getting lower, more dangerous. "I'm going to have to move on to another part of my experiment." He took a step towards us and at that same instant I realized where I had heard all of those animals before.

"He's creating a manticore." I said shocked

"A what?" Isaac asked, looking back at me.

"A monster, a man eater. Legends say it has the tail of a scorpion, the wings of a bat, the body of a lion and..." I swallowed, my mouth suddenly feeling dry "and the head of a human."

"Well in this case I'll be using the head of a werewolf head but it's the same principle." He smiled, taking off his hat and throwing it on the ground. He took out his billy club and I could hear the sparking of the stick.

"Isaac run!" I yelled running forward and grabbing Trench Coat man's wrists as the other one also reached into his pocket for more of the powder. I didn't know what I was thinking really but even if I wasn't a werewolf I still felt the need to keep my friends, my pack, safe.

The man overpowered me and shoved the taser into my side. I saw stars and pain worse than I ever experienced before jolted through my body but even though I could feel blackness trying to over take me I tried to keep my grip.

I could vaguely hear Isaac letting out a dangerous growl but I was still struggling to stay focused on holding Trench Coat man down. I just kept telling myself that if I just held on for one more minute then Derek would get here. I wasn't even really thinking about Scott anymore, I just knew that Derek wouldn't let us down, he wouldn't let me down. He'd show up if I just gave him enough time.

Trench Coat man finally shook me off and I fell to the floor dazed but conscious. I watched helplessly as Isaac lunged at him only to be smacked away with the billy club just like Boyd was earlier. While Isaac struggled to stand up again the man reached for a bloody hatchet off of the nearest table. Now werewolves may have super healing abilities but something told me that once a head of was chopped off it couldn't be grown back.

Then I heard the most beautiful sound to ever grace my ears, howling. Loud howling that even to my ears sounded furious and threatening. Trench Coat swore, abandoning his hatchet and walking back over to Isaac, smacking him repeatedly with the electrified club. It was only when the howling got much closer did he stop and climb back into his car. Fleeing the scene.

As his tail lights got smaller and smaller I dragged myself over to Isaac. Boyd had only gotten two hits at medium intensity, I got one hit on medium as well but it looked like the man had cranked it up on full power for Isaac. He was covered in electrical burns, ones that were so bad I didn't even know if they could heal, let alone how long it would take.

"Stiles?" Isaac rasped and I jolted surprised that he was still conscious.

"Hey. Don't say anything. The pack's on its way. They're almost here, we're going to get help." I said, my head still swimming and I felt like I was going to vomit but I pushed all that to the back of my mind.

"I just…Are you sure Scott isn't mad at me?" He asked and I could almost laugh at the absurdity of that question in this situation.

"Yeah man, I'm sure."

"Good. I told…I told myself I'd never say this out loud but I can't die without telling somebody."

"You aren't going to die." I insisted.

"I love him. Scott. I have since the beginning." He said and dammit I felt like I was in some fucked up version of Romeo and Juliet Werewolf Edition.

"You can tell him yourself once you're better."

"No!" he exclaimed so fervently that I was afraid it'd be the last word he ever said to me. "He can't know. Promise me you won't say anything. Even after-even after I'm gone."

"I'll only promise if you swear to me that you won't give up!" I yelled.

Thankfully it was at that moment that Derek ran into the storage unit. I didn't take my eyes off of Isaac but I knew without looking who came in.

"Stiles!" Derek yelled and before I knew it he was at my side, followed less than a half second later by Scott who slid to his knees beside Isaac. Now that the others were here I let myself slump over, I could still feel the tingling left behind from the electric shock but other than that I just felt weightless and numb.

I could here Scott yelling for someone, to Jackson I think, to call for an ambulance, an idea Derek immediately shut down. Instead Jackson called Lydia and Erica who apparently took Boyd to Deaton and told them to drive over Derek's Camaro. Assuming they broke every traffic law to get here quickly it would still take them at least five or ten minutes to arrive.

"Stiles? Can you hear me? Stiles!" Derek yelled, loud enough to shock me out of my stupor. I jolted and looked at him with wide eyes. He was kneeling on the ground beside me, a hand on my shoulder, I wondered when he put it there. "What happened?" he asked, slowly and deliberately, like he wasn't sure I was capable of answering.

"He's making a manticore. He wanted…he wanted Isaac's head" I said and heard Scott let out a low sound of distress. He still kneeled beside Isaac who had passed out completely by now.

"Who?" Derek demanded.

"I don't…I don't know. I didn't recognize him. He had on a trench coat and wore a hat most of the time…"

"Most of the time? He took it off? What did he look like."

"Normal" I shook my head "He looked completely normal. Brown hair, brown eyes, nothing special about him. Except….except the lightning rod."

"Lightning rod?" Derek looked confused but then looked over at Isaac's injuries, particularly the gruesome burns "Oh." He said, growling darkly. He stood up, presumably to go after the Trench Coat man but I grabbed his arm. I don't know what inclined me to do it, I still felt empty and dizzy, working mostly on instinct and using as little thought processes as possible.

"Stay." I said, knowing how ridiculous I sounded but at this point I just didn't care. I didn't exactly expect him to do it but Derek surprised me and sat back down without even a glare. He shrugged off his leather jacket and put it around my shoulders.

"You're in shock." Derek said matter of factly.

"Yeah, I got that." I responded sarcastically, pulling his jacket more tightly around myself.

Finally the Camaro pulled into the storage unit and Erica hopped out of the passenger side, running over to where Scott held Isaac's hand tightly.

"Lets get him into the car." Erica said and helped Scott put Isaac in the backseat. Derek had a hand on my arm, leading me there as well. Scott scooted in the car and had Isaac's head on his lap I slid in the back as well, sitting just at the end of Isaac's feet.

The drive to Deaton's was completely silent. Nobody saying anything to each other even though we were all pretty cramped in. I buried my face in the collar of Derek's jacket, it was a to large, practically drowning me but it was comforting. Near death experiences have a way of making you look at life differently. After Scott got bitten I got used to being in constant danger but this was different, tonight I stared death in the eye. It wasn't only my death either but Isaac's death as well…but throughout all of it I had faith in one thing. That Derek would find us before it was to late.

There aren't many things in life that I considered impossible anymore. After all I spent my day hanging out with werewolves and fighting against all sorts of supernatural creatures but even though I've grown to accept all that and more there are still some possibilities that I can't let myself get caught up in fantasizing about. And Derek is the biggest one of those things.

When we parked outside the Veterinarians office Deaton was already waiting outside with a stretcher that was probably made for a large dog but would get the job done just fine. Erica and Scott moved Isaac on to the stretcher and followed Deaton inside. I followed more slowly after them and once inside practically collapsed in a waiting room chair.

"Are you okay?" Lydia asked, frowning and sitting beside me.

"Yeah, fine." I nodded. "How's Boyd?"

"He was just stunned. He should be okay after a few days rest. Honestly I think he's more angry about not being able to help you guys more."

"He was awesome." I shook my head.

Derek walked over with Erica "Deaton's working on Isaac, Scott's with him." He said and sat down beside me. "You said the man was making a Manticore? Are you sure?"

"Yeah. He wants to take over the world. He was killing people to test out different poisons." I said, breathing deeply, in, out, in, out. Which made Derek scowl even deeper.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lydia asked and I nodded but Derek was sniffing the air. Leaning close to me he took in my scent and frowned, reaching down and pulling up the hem of my shirt.

"Hey!" I tried to push it back down but even if I was at my top strength I wouldn't have been a match for Derek when he wanted something. I tried to ignore the fact that in this instance what he wanted was my clothes off. Well sort of, he only lifted it enough to see the red and inflamed electrical burn on my side.

"Why didn't you mention this earlier!" Derek snapped at me.

"It's fine. Isaac was worse-"

"Isaac will heal. It might take a while but he'll be fine. You don't heal like us Stiles!" He said furiously. "If this was three inches to the right the shock could have hit your heart and you'd be dead and even now you could still die if you get an infection! You are so stupid sometimes! You can't just go running in to danger blindly, you're fragile and weak and I'm not always going to be around to save your ass whenever you get hurt!" he yelled and I stood up, fists clenched.

"I'm sorry I'm such a fucking bother to you!" I yelled. I couldn't believe he was acting this way. I almost died because of the supernatural shit he and his family dragged Scott, and by extension me, in to. I can't believe I ever even considered that I might have feelings for someone so cold and angry. "So you know what, I'm done. Next time you need help protecting the pack you created but have no fucking idea what to do with, leave me out of it." I said and stormed out of the veterinarian's building. Realizing that my jeep was still at the hospital I resigned myself to a long walk home.

After about two blocks I realized that I still had Derek's leather jacket pulled tightly around myself for comfort.

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**All done! I hope you liked this chapter, I know that it's a little confusing right now but don't worry it'll clear up as the story progresses.**

**As for the manticore I read a lot of different stories and legends about it and some describe it as just a lion with a scorpions tail, other versions have a human head attached, others have bat wings, others don't, there's tons of different ways a Manticore has been described so for the sake of this story I chose to use one described as a body of a lion with a scorpions tail, bat wings and a human head. So if you guys are used to another description of a manticore that is why this may be a bit different.**

**Anyways don't forget to _REVIEW!_**


	4. Sheriff Stilinski

**4.**

**Warnings: None in this chapter**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf!**

**Well hello again! Here's chapter number four, I cannot believe that we are already over half way done with this story. It's been a blast and gotten a better reaction than I ever expected. So thank you for everyone who's been with this story all along and to those who are still just finding it. Ya'll are freakin awesome!**

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It's been three days since that awful evening. Three days of wallowing and avoiding the pack which was actually easier than I thought it'd be. So far only Lydia had dropped by, after I stopped worshipping the ground she walked on we actually started to become friends. She stopped by, asked how I was and updated me on how everyone else was doing.

Boyd was back at the Hale house already, he still ached but was to stubborn to admit it of course and was already back helping Erica and Jackson track down the trench coat man.

Isaac was another story all together. The powder that the man had thrown at us was a mixture of Ipomoea Alba and Solanum Dulcamara also known as moonflowers and bittersweet nightshade. They had been dried and combined in a way that the poison was fast acting when inhaled. The moonflowers were a known werewolf paralytic but I had gotten very lucky. There was a very fine line between nightshade being paralytic to it being fatal for humans. Had I inhaled just a teaspoon more I wouldn't have made it through that night alive.

The moonflower though had a secondary effect on Isaac, it slowed his natural ability to heal. Until the poison worked it's way out of his system he wasn't able to heal any better than a normal human and with injuries that bad it was a very dangerous situation to be in.

Deaton closed his office for the next few days because Isaac required round the clock attention if he was going to make it. And Scott? Well Scott never left his side and the rest of the pack was starting to wonder why. According to Lydia, Allison was beginning to get frustrated with him. At first she had been all for him staying by his friend's side but now it was starting to seem weird to her. I just decided not to comment on that particular mess.

Lydia also talked about Derek...

Apparently he had been a worse pain in the butt than normal, snapping at everyone and glowering so badly that he made a group of kids burst in to tears just from walking by them the other day. He was hardly sleeping, spending all of his time searching for the trench coat man and any clues as to his whereabouts. Everyone was beginning to get very worried for him but nobody dared to confront him about his odd behavior either.

After Lydia left I finally gathered myself together enough to leave the house. Part of me wanted to immediately go after Derek. I wanted to yell at him for being such a jerk, apologize for storming out and then help him find justice for Isaac and stop this man from hurting anyone else. After all, I knew Derek couldn't be convinced to do anything else until this man was gone for good.

I wanted to do all that but I didn't. Instead I stopped by the local diner and got my dad and myself dinner. A salad and diet soda for him and a burger with fries and a Coke for myself. I took the food down to the sheriff's office, which was almost empty because of the late hour and due to the fact that most officers that were still on duty were patrolling the streets for a serial killer.

When I walked in I waved at the officer at the front desk, everyone there knew me so I just walked back to my dad's office. He was sitting at his desk, pouring over papers and looking up when I came in.

"Stiles? What's going on? Are you okay? Why are you here?" He asked worriedly.

"Relax dad I'm fine. I just brought dinner." I held up the take away bag "I figured you were tired of bad coffee and stale donuts."

"Thanks son." He sighed, taking his bag and opening it, giving a little heart broken groan when he saw the salad.

"Hey, it's still better than crummy donuts." I said and he grumbled something that sounded enough like an agreement for me to smile. I sat across from him at his desk and started to eat my own meal. "So, how's the investigation going?" I asked, wondering if maybe the police could have figured something out that Derek didn't know yet.

"Not great." He sighed, sticking a piece of lettuce half heartedly with his fork. "Three victims, three different ages, economic classes, even the genders don't match. The only thing that adds up is that they were all poisoned and even that, no two of them were killed by the same poison. I have no idea what to make of it and now I have the fucking FBI breathing down my neck. Serial killers are a big deal and apparently the mayor doesn't think we have the smarts to handle it on our own."

"Well I'm sure you guys have a suspect or something." I said, trying not to sound to probing.

"We don't have much..." My dad said before stuffing a large bite of salad in his mouth to keep himself quiet, that really piqued my interest.

"But you do have something?"

"Stiles just drop it." He said after swallowing.

"What? Come on, I'm your son. What is it you suddenly can't tell me?"

"I'm not supposed to be telling you any of this." He said more sternly

"I'll find out eventually dad."

The Sheriff groaned, rubbing his eyes exhaustedly "Fine but keep this to yourself. I don't want you telling Scott and you and him getting into even more trouble." He said and waited until I nodded in agreement to continue "We're looking in to Derek Hale." He said and I choked on a French Fry.

"What? Why?" I managed to say while I gasped for air.

"Well he's not exactly the most upstanding citizen Stiles." My dad frowned.

"Yeah but you can't just put someone on a serial killer suspect list because they've been suspected for other crimes before." I said

"Of course not. But the hospital that housed the third victim had a break in a few nights ago. A guard got a glimpse of a man who matches Derek Hale's description and we have video of his car in the parking lot."

"Just his car…?" I asked questioningly, knowing that my jeep was also in that parking lot that evening. "Yeah, it looks like someone messed with the hospital's security tapes. We had to use video from the gas station across the street and that only had a limited view of the hospital parking lot but it was enough."

"But I mean the car could have been there for any reason…" I tried and my father just raised an eyebrow at me.

"Oh? Like what?"

"I uh…well maybe…" I trailed off, for once not knowing what to say

"We've been keeping an eye on him for the last week too."

"You have?" If my voice got higher in pitch my dad didn't mention it.

"Yes, it's been hard, he's very good at avoiding being followed. I think he knows we've been watching him too, most of the time it's like he doesn't care though. But we've caught him going to pet stores and asking about snakes and he even went to the zoo in the next town over and asked about their poisonous animals."

"He did?" I asked incredulously, honestly wondering how Derek expected to survive without my researching skills.

"Yeah, things aren't looking good for him. And the fact that he keeps on shaking his tail shows us that he has other things to hide. Things that are probably worse and more incriminating than asking around town about poisonous creatures." He said and I sighed, knowing that Derek probably only shook his tail when he visited Isaac at Deaton's or needed Scott for anything, he wouldn't want to incriminate either of them if he knew he was being followed.

"Dad. He didn't do it." I shook my head, taking a deep breath, I couldn't believe that I was about to do this. I had worked so hard for so long to keep this secret from my dad, to let him continue on living a normal life and now that was all crashing down. If I could I'd keep on lying to him, maybe that makes me a terrible son but I honestly thought it was for the best. But now…I can't let him think that Derek is some sort of serial killer. Not to mention that a constant police tail puts not only Derek but the whole pack in danger.

"What do you mean?" My father stopped his eating and shuffling through papers to look at me.

"He didn't do it," I repeated more surely.

"And you know this how?"

"Because…Because I was with him that night. My jeep was in the parking lot too. We were all there, me, Derek, Scott, Isaac Lahey, Lydia, Jackson, everyone. I know you're probably about ready to explode dad but please just let me explain." I set the rest of my burger down.

And over the next few hours I explained everything, starting out with the night in the woods when Scott got bitten all the way up to what happened with the Trench Coat man. My father went through several stages, at first he was angry, wondering why I was coming up with such ridiculous stories. As things progressed and it became obvious how determined I was to make him understand he became concerned. I could tell he was wondering if I was delusional, if I was on drugs, he was trying to come up with an explanation, any explanation for this bizarre behavior. Then there was skepticism, he asked me questions, not about my mental health anymore but about the werewolves, trying to convince himself how ludicrous this was. He asked how werewolves could possibly have existed for so long without everyone knowing. Hello, we do sort of know, there has been hundreds of years worth of legends and whole movie franchises made about them. Human's are just cynical to believe in something so extraordinary. Okay then, he said, how do they change, what processes could the human body go through to even make that possible? Now, I honestly didn't know how to answer that one, finally deciding on pointing out that women create and incubate new life. If that's possible than growing fangs and flashing eyes were definitely possible and no matter how much he wanted to the Sheriff couldn't argue with that. But that did lead me to showing him Derek's arrest photos and other pictures I had taken of the pack over the past few months. I showed him how the werewolves eyes reflected while mine, Allison's and Lydia's did not. Finally, after what seemed like forever my father came to acceptance, only after we made a call to Scott's mother though. Melissa spent a bit talking to him and assuring him that yes she believed that this was true and had seen irrefutable proof of this as well. After my father finally accepted werewolves and the supernatural as truth it looked like he had aged five years.

"So yeah, I know Derek didn't do it. He's helping stop the person who did. And trust me, he won't stop until this is over. He's a good Alpha, a great Alpha and this man attacked his pack. He's going down dad and Derek Hale is the reason this town will be safe again." I finished and looked away from my dad. Now that he knew the truth, both of us would have to come to terms with the fact that I had been lying to him for a long time now. But that part of this conversation would have to come later.

"You seem to have a lot of faith in him." My dad commented.

"Yeah I do. It took a while though. A first he was this horrible tempered, cranky, jerk who avoided happiness like it was the plague. Now, he still has a nasty temper and he's still cranky and if anything he's a bigger jerk now that he became an Alpha but…he's someone I know I can rely on. And despite the fact that a mustard seed has a bigger emotional capacity than him, he…he does care. He doesn't show it and most of the time his over protectiveness and god complex overshadow it but he really truly does care for his pack." I sighed softly.

"And you're a part of his pack?"

"Yeah. I am." I said and realized that I didn't even need to consider my answer to that question. I was Pack, that was that.

"Alright…okay…It seems I have some work to do. I have to figure out how to get the force off of Derek's tail and how the hell to explain these serial killings without mentioning the words werewolf or manticore…" The Sheriff said, getting up and going to the other side of the room, filling up his coffee pot again, it was going to be a long night for him. "Why don't you go back home. We can talk more later." He said and I knew I was being dismissed and for once I didn't mind.

"Be careful." I told him and threw out my thrash on the way out of the Sheriff's station. I climbed in to my jeep and made it all the way out of the parking lot and about a block down the road before I noticed the figure sitting in my backseat. I screamed, a very manly scream that most certainly didn't sound like a five year old girl's, and ended up swerving the car, almost hitting a tree on the side of the road but getting back control of my car at the last minute. I pulled off to the side of the road and put my car in park before tuning around angrily "What the hell dude!" I snapped "Are you trying to get us killed!"

"Did you mean it?" Derek asked, looking me straight in the eye. I noticed how exhausted he looked, Lydia was right, he really hadn't been sleeping.

"Yes I meant it! You scared the crap out me, we are lucky it's so late otherwise I could have easily hit another car!" I exclaimed, waving my hands around. In one quick movement Derek grabbed both of my wrists in one of his hands and pinned them down against the side of my seat.

"Not that…when you said I was good Alpha."

"You are such a creeper!" I said annoyed. "Can I not have a single private conversation anymore? No, because I have to hang around a bunch of nosy super hearing werewolves, that's why!"

"Did you mean it?" He repeated, a slight growl in his voice this time.

"Yeah, okay. I meant it." I sighed. "But don't let it go to your head." I said, feeling my face get hot from embarrassment. And it didn't help that Derek was quiet for a long moment after that.

"Thank you. For getting the police off of my back." He said softly.

"Bless my heart. Did the Derek Hale just thank me for something?" I gasped in mock shock but the effort only earned me a glare. I shook my head and smiled amused. "It's fine sourwolf, I was just protecting the Pack." I said, not quite sure why I didn't want him to know that I was mostly thinking of him when I made the confession to my dad.

"Your heart's racing." Derek suddenly said, his voice uncharacteristically quiet.

"I know." I responded but didn't give any other explanation. He wasn't the only one that could be cryptic. Even so, I was suddenly hyper aware of how close we were and how his hand still held my wrists, his fingers were calloused but his grip while firm wasn't painful at all.

"Erica and Lydia finally ganged up on me. They sent me here to apologize to you. They wanted me to say that I was just worried and overreacting because of it. "

"Hm. What else did they tell you to say?" I asked

"That we need your help to figure this out and we are sort of floundering without you."

"Well you can tell Lydia and Erica that I accept the apology."

Derek visibly relaxed and slowly let go of my wrists, his fingers skimming over mine. "Oh, and they also wanted me to ask you for my jacket back." He said and I laughed, smacking his arm before driving back to the Hale house, promising to return the jacket tomorrow…or eventually…

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**And there ya go! Another chapter down! Please don't forget to _REVIEW!_**


	5. Stiles

**5.**

**God I feel sooooooooo bad for the long absence! I was having this god awful writers block and then school started and I just pushed this story aside. But I am back now and plan to finish dammit! So thank you everyone who is still interested in this story despite my despicable laziness. And to make up for my long absence I have provided the longest chapter of this story yet! Hooray!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's awesome characters.**

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Isaac finally woke up.

It was a week after my father and I had our little confessional and thanks to my genius the pack was getting much closer to finding the trench coat man. Through my amazing research skills, with some help from Lydia and Danny, we were able to find out his name. Calvin Ross.

It was such a simple name and he seemed like a simple guy too. He had been a history professor at Yale and was currently on a sixth month sabbatical. It didn't take much more digging until we found the motivation for his sudden mental decline. We found a news article, dated about a year ago where it talked about a double murder, a robbery gone wrong. The victims were Amanda and Sarah Ross, trench coat man's wife and eight year old daughter. And as much as I wanted to hate this man I suddenly found that I couldn't, instead I felt pity and sympathy rise in my gut. While he still didn't have a right to go around trying to take over the world and kill Isaac and I, I could now understand why he wanted that better world.

But all research came to a halt the day Isaac woke up. He was still weak and healing but after a two hour long examination by Deaton it was determined that he was no longer in danger of dying. I was the first one to arrive at the Veterinarian's to visit, bringing along a tub of wolf shaped chocolates and about four balloons as a get well soon present.

"Hey I heard Sleeping Beauty woke-Oh my god!" I stopped dead in my tracks when I walked in to the back room where Isaac's cot was. Isaac was sitting up, one arm supporting himself and the other hand was tangled tightly in Scott's hair while Scott leaned over him. The two were kissing so hard I wasn't one hundred percent sure where one stopped and the other began. They broke apart when they heard me come in, both of their cheeks flaming red and god I didn't even need to be a werewolf to smell the ridiculous amounts of arousal in the room.

"Heeeeey buddy…" Scott waved awkwardly

"Don't you hey buddy me!" I quickly set the tin of chocolates and balloons down on Isaac's cot. "How can you do this to me! Both of you! You guys are the worst friends in the world!" I said, not caring that I sounded like a pouting six year old.

"Do you know what he's talking about?" Isaac asked Scott quietly.

"Not at all…" Scott said, intertwining his fingers with Isaac's slowly.

"For weeks now I've been keeping both of your secrets! And you guys can't even give me the courtesy of having a dramatic blow up where your emotions come spilling out in the middle of a ferocious battle where it's raining and everyone's soaking wet and the declaration of your undying love gives everyone the inspiration they need to win the fight!"

"You've thought about this way to much…" Isaac said slowly, opening the tin of chocolates and beginning to eat them.

"Yes. Yes I have and I am not ashamed of that." I pointed a finger at the two of them, making Scott laugh, resting his cheek softly on top of Isaac's hair. "Ugh, please tell me you two aren't going to be one of those horribly mushy, always affectionate and sickeningly sweet couples. Because I already had to go through that once when Scott was with Allison and I'd really like to avoid it this time around…" I trailed off, seeing both of them tense up. I threw my hands up in the air and groaned loudly "Seriously Scott?_ Seriously?_ You haven't broken up with Allison yet?"

"I haven't had a chance." Scott said, squeezing Isaac's hand reassuringly "But I will, as soon as I see her next. I promise."

"Good. Because I'm not being anyone's dirty little secret. Not even yours." Isaac said quietly and Scott shook his head, cupping Isaac's cheeks.

"This isn't like that at all. I love you. Honestly, I do and it's been…it's been killing me lately because I thought you didn't feel the same way."

"Really…?" Isaac asked, looking up to Scott and I felt like I was intruding on a private moment but I was worried that if I moved I'd disrupt the zone they had put themselves in. Well that and I really kind of wanted to watch, it was like some bizarre soap opera that you know is totally weird and unmanly to watch but you can't drag yourself away from it.

"Yeah of course. I love you Isaac. More than I ever loved Allison, you don't even compare. You-You're my mate…" Scott said and I almost awwwed out loud.

Isaac smiled and laughed out of pure happiness. "That's perfect because you're my mate too."

"Well I'd hope so." Scott said and leaned down for another kiss. When it didn't look like they were going to break apart I cleared my throat.

"Hey guys, not that this wasn't adorable and all but I'd really rather not seeing you two ya know_ actually_ mate so can we just break it up for a bit?" I asked then heard someone else enter the vet's office. I peeked out of the room and saw Derek, wearing his leather jacket again which I had graciously given back to him. Actually he stole it back while I was sleeping but who really cares about the little details.

"I heard Isaac woke up." Derek said simply.

"Yeah but he's sort of tongue tied right now so I wouldn't bother trying to talk to him." I said and Derek knitted his eyebrows together in the subtle expression I learned meant confusion. He seemed to make that expression around me more often than anyone else. "He and Scott finally accepted the fact that they're in love with each other." I explained, figuring that everyone was going to know soon enough anyways.

"Ah." Derek nodded as if he had been expecting it all along, which knowing him he probably had. "We have a new lead on Ross."

"Is it any good?" I asked, immediately curious.

"It might be. A couple towns over in Brookfield there was a robbery from their zoo. An adolescent lion. Since when he fled the storage unit Ross left all of his animals including his lion behind-"

"This is probably him getting the pieces he needs for the Manticore back together." I finished his sentence without even really needing to think about it.

"Yeah. Exactly." Derek nodded.

"Do you think he's made a new base in Brookfield?" I asked and Derek shook his head.

"No, this man has gotten the idea of using a werewolf head in his mind. I doubt he'd just let that go."

"And where better to find a werewolf than Beacon Hills?" I nodded. "He'll probably try and get Isaac again because he knows that he's already injured and weak. I doubt Scott would let the man get within a few miles of Isaac at this point but we should get at least one other member of the Pack to stand guard at all times as well. Just in case Ross does get close."

"What if we let him get close." Derek said slowly with that deep in thought look that did strange things to my chest.

"What do you mean?" I asked

"An ambush." Derek said and I smiled.

"We'd lure him here where we'll all be waiting to get him." I said and Derek nodded.

"It'll be dangerous though." Derek added "Having us all packed in such a small space…even if it is only one man, he has weapons that are very effective."

"You're right. It'll be to crowded to fight effectively if we're all in here at the same time. And he could just take out his fairy dust and knock us all out at once." I said then clapped my hands together, making Derek start. Any other time I would make fun at him for being so jumpy but I was to into my idea to think about anything else at the moment. "Ants"

"What?" Derek said, that look of confusion back on his face.

"A few nights ago I couldn't sleep and I was watching this documentary on TV about ants. There's this species of ants in Africa that can kill elephants, humans, almost anything. See, one ant, if it bites you you might just be able to stomp on it or flick it off but these ants. There's millions of them in a single colony. These ants bite you, one by one and just overwhelm you. We need to attack him one at a time, not all at once. One person gets a swipe at him then runs, then someone else comes up from the other side and gets him. The trick to this is speed, we have a very short amount of time from the moment he enters here and the time it'll take him to get to Isaac. If someone gets hit by his suited up billy club or knocked out by his powder we cannot stop, we have to keep on going. Get him one after the other until he can't move."

"That could work" Derek said slowly

"Don't sound so surprised." I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop the small smile on my face. It was sort of weird, collaborating with Derek like this, he wasn't really the 'works well with others' sort of guy but whatever this was that was going on between us, it was working. Maybe Scott and Isaac weren't the only ones with some kind of Zone.

"I'll go tell the rest of the pack." Derek said and I made a face.

"That means I have to go back into the porno waiting to happen and tell Isaac and Scott." I whined and didn't regret it one bit. Whining was completely acceptable in this situation.

"Good luck with that." Derek smirked and my heart did that stupid clench until it hurt thing again.

"Yeah. Yeah. Just get out of here." I said and Derek chuckled, putting his hands in his pockets as he walked out of the veterinarian's office. I took a deep breath to calm myself down, Scott would definitely notice if my heart wasn't beating at all when I walked back into the room because honestly I could barely breath. Whatever this weird thing with Derek was I needed to put it to an end before it completely crushes me. Even though Derek and I aren't _always_ trying to piss each other off anymore, it was still a fairly regular occurrence and because of that I couldn't even let myself entertain the notion of us being anything more than rocky friends. Unless of course he was just pulling my pigtails, figuratively of course. But what were the chances of that?

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and put on a brave face as I went back into Isaac's room. Luckily, all I found was a very exasperated Deaton explaining to a rather put out Scott and Isaac that Isaac needed to rest and increasing his heart rate to much was dangerous.

"Ah good, Stiles. I have to go out and grab some supplies. Do you mind staying here and keeping an eye on them?" Deaton asked.

"Sure. Just hurry back. Please." I begged him, not wanting to spend my entire afternoon being my best friend's cockblocker.

"I'll do my best." Deaton nodded and looked back to Isaac and Scott. "Remember, keep his heart rate relaxed." He reminded before leaving.

"Ugh, this sucks." Isaac groaned, flopping on his back but he was still holding Scott's hand who was smiling at him goofily. God I wanted to gouge my eyes out.

"You'll be out of here soon enough man." I promised. "And Derek stopped by. He and I came up with a plan to get rid of Ross."

"Who's Ross?" Isaac asked.

"The Trench coat man who tried to off us." I explained, forgetting that Isaac had been out for a while and didn't know about our latest developments. I explained the most recent developments, taking Isaac's focus away from Scott for the moment. Thank God. And then I explained the plan that Derek and I came up with.

"I don't know if using Isaac as bait is such a good idea." Scott shook his head.

"It's a great idea." Isaac said, squeezing Scott's hand reassuringly. "Don't worry. I trust Derek and Stiles and the rest of the pack. This will work." He said with such certainty that it broke my heart a little bit. "Well it better work other wise I will come back from the dead and haunt you for an eternity." Isaac looked back towards me and I groaned.

"Just when I was getting all teary eyed from your vote of confidence." I said sarcastically but with a smile but it was only seconds later that my smile disappeared.

The lights all around us went out, a bit of sunlight shone through the small glass block window but because we were in the back room there wasn't much else to help us see.

"Please tell me this was a part of yours and Derek's plan…" Isaac said slowly.

"Nope" I said, popping the P.

"Shit then." Scott said and I ran over, closing and locking the door to the back room before pushing a desk in front of it. "That won't hold for long." I said and if on cue something smashed against the door so hard that the entire room shook, the light hanging from the ceiling shaking furiously. A second crash followed soon after, the door frame began to splinter.

"Come on. There has to be a way out of here." I looked to Scott who shook his head.

"No, that's the only door." Scott said.

"We can break the window." I said as a third bang hit and I could hear the lock on the door break. One or two more strikes and the desk would be pushed out of the way completely, leaving us defenseless.

"It's to high up and to small." Scott shook his head. The window was a typical glass block window like you'd find a basement, close to the ceiling and very small.

"We'll fit. You climb out first and then I can pass Isaac to you-"

"I'm not helpless you know!" Isaac said a bit annoyed.

"Deaton said we have to keep your heart rate down!"

"Yes well the man who tried to murder me is right outside the door. Nothing can really elevate it more than that!" He said, pushing himself off of the bed and standing up. I could tell that he was putting on a brave face, that he was still in pain but at this point we didn't really have much of a choice.

There was another smash against the door and it inched open just enough for me to see Ross. "Going so soon?" He smiled at me and I swallowed,

"Lets go." I grabbed a chair, hurtling it at the window, which luckily shattered to pieces. "Alright, Scott go."

"I should stay and hold him off-"

"No. He has that powder and his magic wand. You're as defenseless as I am and he wants a werewolf head. You and Isaac need to get out, he will kill you. He has nothing to gain by killing me." I said, putting a chair underneath the window. Scott hesitated a second and as he did the final crash struck the door, shoving the desk out of the way and smashing the door apart. "Go now!" I yelled and Scott climbed on top of the chair, then out the window. I was vaguely aware of him swearing as the broken glass cut him but I was mostly focused on Ross.

I put myself between him and Isaac, "Can't say I'm happy to see you again." I said and Ross just smirked.

"Move out of the way boy." He said, already holding his electric club in hand, probably having used that to break down the door in the first place.

"I don't think so." I said and when Ross reached towards his pockets for the powder I lunged at him. Not expecting me to physically assault him, Ross was caught off guard. I managed to knock him on the ground, his club falling out of his hand and rolling across the room. "Get out of here Isaac! I'll be fine!" I yelled, punching Ross in the face.

Under normal circumstances I knew that Isaac would never leave me or anyone else in this position but we were all acutely aware of the fact that Isaac could barely stand, let alone be any use fighting. I could hear him climbing unto the chair and talking to Scott who was trying to help him climb out.

My full attention was brought back to Ross who managed to shove his knee into my chest. I gasped, the breath being knocked out of me and I fell off of him, landing on my back where I saw Isaac's shoe leaving through the window. He and Scott had made it out.

Ross though used the opportunity to take back his electric club.

"Shit shit shit." I swore, scrambling backwards until my back hit the wall. Ross stood, walking towards me slowly, knowing that I was trapped. Despite what I told Scott earlier I wasn't sure that Ross wouldn't kill me, I had after all caused him to loose his wolf head again. This could make any maniac mad enough to kill. I looked around for something, anything that could save me, the only thing within my reach was a small plastic flower vase with a single daisy in it, a gift for Isaac from Lydia earlier in the week. I picked up the vase and Ross laughed at me.

"What are you going to do? Daisy me to death?" He asked and raised the club preparing to hit me and judging by how much it was sparking the voltage was definitely high enough to kill.

I did the only thing I could do, I threw the vase at him. The plastic bounced off of him but the daisy and the water spilled out, soaking the side of his face and creating a puddle on the floor.

"Really? I'm kind of disappointed that this is the best you've go-" Ross stopped talking, the club did a violent jolt, sparks flying everywhere and shocking his face, the water only making it worse. In shock Ross, dropped the stick, it landed in the puddle of water at his feet.

I saw the blinding light before I heard it, closing my eyes didn't help the overwhelming rush of my senses. I heard Ross' screams, smelled burning flesh and could feel the heat of electricity as it coursed through Ross' nearby body. A few seconds felt like hours but eventually the screams stopped and I heard Ross crash to the ground but I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes, the continual smell of charred flesh made me terrified of what I would find.

"Stiles!" I heard Derek run into the room and stop dead at what he saw. But it was only a few seconds before he stared to walk again, more carefully this time, stepping over the puddle that still had the sparking stick and Ross' body sitting in it. He kneeled down beside me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Stiles" He said more softly. "Look at me."

"Uh, no. I already sleep badly enough as it is. I don't need to see any fried and crispy corpses to give me nightmares too." I said "What are you doing here anyways?"

"Scott called as soon as he got Isaac out the window. Here, stand up, I'll guide you out." Derek said, taking my elbow and pulling me to my feet. "I thought I was going to have to save you again but I guess you did a pretty good job yourself this time."

"Hey. I've saved you more often than you've saved me." I said and Derek scoffed as he led me around the body and out of the room. Once we were in the hallway I opened my eyes, finding my face only inches away from Derek's and that most certainly did not make me blush in the slightest.

"The only thing you could save me from is a bunny rabbit and even then I'm not sure you'd make it." Derek said seriously and despite the fact that there was a dead body in the next room I broke out laughing.

"Oh. My. God. I'm not sure what's better, that you actually made a joke or that you said the word 'bunny!'" I said and just then I heard the familiar sound of police sirens.

"Stop laughing. Laughing after killing somebody makes you look guilty." Derek said.

"I didn't kill him!" I said instantly but a cold feeling washed over me as I realized that in a way I had killed him. I threw the water at him that led to the electrified stick shocking him to death.

It was my fault he was dead, I was a killer, self defense or not I took a life.

Derek watched me closely, as if he knew that something was wrong. Without a word he slipped off his leather jacket and set it around my shoulders again. This jacket was becoming like a shock blanket that they gave to trauma victims, except for me it wasn't the warmth or the solidity of the jacket that calmed me. It was the smell, the smell that was uniquely Derek and it was also the meaning behind the gesture. Surrendering the jacket again told me that maybe he did care more than I was giving him credit for.

Footsteps approached us and my dad rounded the corner, holding his gun. When he saw us he stopped, frowning. "I don't know why I'm even surprised anymore to find you at a crime scene." He sighed. "What happened?"

"The man committing the murders tried to attack Isaac. Scott and I were here visiting when it happened." I explained

"Shit. Are you alright? What about Isaac and Scott?"

"Isaac and Scott got out fine, I'm alright too. What are you doing here?"

"Someone near by heard a commotion and called the police. With everything that has been going on everyone's one edge." He explained and then turned his head to look at Derek suspiciously.

"And where were you during all this?" He asked, even though the Sheriff didn't believe that Derek was committing the murders anymore, didn't mean that he suddenly trusted him. And the fact that I was wearing his jacket probably didn't help things…or the fact that we were standing so close…or that Derek still had a hand on my arm. Oh my god this is like some fucked up version of meeting the parents for the first time!

"Scott called me but that's not important you should look in there." Derek said, cocking his head over to the door, which the Sheriff looked into and let out a long whistle.

"That's the guy who's been committing the murders?" He asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, that's him."

"What happened?"

I opened my mouth to answer but Derek beat me to it. "When Scott called I came as quickly as a could. I heard a fight back here and came over, I saw Stiles on the ground and the man holding a billy club altered to emit a high voltage electric current. From previous dealing I knew that the man had defenses against...my particular skill set, so I had to improvise. I threw water on him which caused the sparks to hit his skin, starling him enough to drop the club into a puddle at his feet that created an electrical surge that killed him." Derek said, trying to sound professional but at the same time be discreet. Even though he knew my father was aware of his werewolf abilities and the supernatural, he wanted to make sure that any other patrol officers that might arrive didn't overhear them.

"Are you sure you're okay Stiles, you saw a man die…" The Sheriff asked again and I nodded.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I closed my eyes dad." I said as if it were that simple but at the same time, something else inside me was buzzing. "Actually you know what. I'm kind of tired, I know you have to get statements and everything but do you think I can give mine later? Derek can drive me home."

The Sheriff hesitated before nodding "Yeah, go ahead. This will be one hell of a case to explain…I'll probably be home late."

I nodded in acknowledgement "I'll see you later dad." I waved and walked out of the Vet's with Derek.

The ride back to my house was a quiet one, neither of us really saying anything to the other. It was only when we parked in my driveway that I looked over to Derek who was holding onto and staring determinedly at his steering wheel.

"Why'd you do it? Why did you take credit for killing Ross?" I asked.

"Because I'm a glory hound. Figured I could build a better reputation if I killed a serial killer and saved the Sheriff's son." Derek said, his voice devoid of any emotion. To most people it would sound like he was admitting to a true statement but somehow…somehow I just knew he was lying.

"You did it to protect me didn't you? To stop the police and my dad from interrogating every second the ordeal out of me. To stop the press from bugging me. You did it so I wouldn't have to relive it every time some nosy jackass asks about it."

"Why would I do something like that?" Derek cocked an eyebrow, looking up at me. I knew he was trying to look defiant, like he was mocking me being so stupid and sentimental. And it was that staunch denial of the truth that made me sure I was right. But even though I was sure I didn't answer him with words. I didn't let him drag me into another pointless conversation that would eventually lead nowhere.

Instead I kissed him. Just like that, I leaned over the arm of his seat and pressed my lips against his. And for the first time in my entire life long memory I felt at peace, real peace. Some people say a kiss can make you feel like a rocket ship, getting ready to blast off but for me, I felt calm, I felt whole. Even with his stubble scratching against my face and his hands still laying on the steering wheel, now slack with shock.

I pulled away and smiled, Derek just staring at me stunned. "This will be our secret." I said and got out of the car, going inside my house and closing the door behind me. Whether our secret was the truth about Ross' death, the kiss or both I wasn't quite sure. All I knew was that Derek's lips were just as soft as I thought they'd be and that I once again had custody of the leather jacket. Hell yeah.

* * *

**Thank you everyone for being so patient and sticking with this story! You guys rock! I really appreciate all the support and hope that even though it's coming to an end you still enjoy it. There's one more chapter left after this and then we will officially be done. I plan on getting that last chapter out in the next few days so don't worry, I won't leave you hanging for weeks again. I promise.**

**And I know that technically nobody told Stiles a secret in this chapter but the kissy kissy, death, secret sort of was my loophole for that.**

**Thanks again for reading! Please _REVIEW!_**


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